


this city misses you already

by victoria_p (musesfool)



Category: Spider-Man (Ultimateverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Makeouts, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-12
Updated: 2012-12-12
Packaged: 2017-11-20 23:48:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/591059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musesfool/pseuds/victoria_p
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having Peter here is something Johnny thought would never happen again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	this city misses you already

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mizzmarvel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizzmarvel/gifts).
  * Translation into Polski available: [to miasto za tobą tęskni](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5705050) by [Heidi1611](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heidi1611/pseuds/Heidi1611)



> Thanks to my lovely betas, Devil Doll and Snacky.

The dye in Johnny's hair grew out a while ago, and he hasn't bothered to redo it; he just cut off the dark parts and gave himself a buzzcut (also growing out now), so he's got his hat pulled down low, covering his hair and shadowing his face, though he's pretty sure no one around here will recognize him. Kitty's face is the one on all the front pages and wanted posters; Johnny's hasn't been on a magazine cover in months, though he could get spotted, and then they'd all be in the shit.

He plunks the four cans of Red Bull onto the counter and eyes the array of candy on the shelves beneath the register before he picks out a package of Twizzlers and adds them to his haul. He needs a lot of fuel to keep going, and since he ran off with Kitty and Bobby and their merry band of mutant freedom fighters, he's almost constantly hungry. He misses dinner at Aunt May's almost as much as he misses her and Peter. He's only a short hop on the J away from Peter's house, but he can't go back. Not after what Aunt May and Gwen have been through. Not after everything they've all been through.

He doesn't like to think about the other things he's missing--having a warm bed and a place to call home and his best friend at his side. At this point, he even kind of misses having to do chores, if only because taking out the garbage is so low-pressure compared to the stuff he has to do now, just to help keep everybody safe and fed while Kitty and Bobby do their leadership thing.

Maybe he's just got Peter on the brain, because two nights later, he's dumpster-diving beside the Circle S deli on Liberty Avenue and he sees a kid in a blue hoodie who looks just like him. Johnny's ready to write it off as paranoia and wishful thinking when the guy goes, "Psst, Johnny."

Johnny freezes for a second--if Bobby were with him, he'd make the obvious joke--and then goes back to picking through the garbage. 

"Johnny, it's me."

Johnny flips over the edge of the dumpster to face the guy, who's got his hood up, as if he's afraid of being spotted, too. Johnny keeps his head down, makes sure the guy can't get a good look under the brim of his baseball cap. "I don't know who you think I am, dude, but I'm not him."

The guy--he really does look like Peter, which makes Johnny's heart skip a beat--glances up and down the street, but it's deserted at this hour. He pushes back his hood and says, "It's me, Peter."

"That's not funny." Not many people knew what Peter meant to Johnny and the idea that someone who did would pull something like this makes anger curdle in his (empty) stomach. 

Johnny grabs him by the wrists and swings him against the brick wall of the building, a little harder than he means to, really. The thing about Peter was that even though he looked like a skinny little nerd, if he didn't want to move, it'd take something like the Hulk to move him. Not just because he had spider-strength, but because he could stick to things. This kid moves like he weighs nothing, like he's hollow beneath his clothes, and a good gust of wind could carry him away. 

His head snaps back against the wall and his mouth twists in pain. "Ow." He slaps out at Johnny but there's no force behind it. "What'd you do that for, jerk?"

His irritation sounds so familiar that Johnny finally acknowledges it. "Peter?"

"That's what I've been trying to _tell_ you." Peter rotates his wrists in Johnny's hold but makes no effort to get free. Looking at him-- _really_ looking at him--Johnny's not sure he'd be able to. His face is thin and pale and there are purple smudges under his eyes. 

"You look like crap." Johnny drops Peter's wrists and hauls him into a hug. 

"Considering I'm supposed to be dead, I think I look great," Peter says, his voice muffled because his face is pressed against Johnny's shoulder. He smells like sweat and musty flannel, like he's been locked up in the dark somewhere for a while. 

The A train rattles overhead, too loud to hear anything else, and anyway, Johnny wants to enjoy this moment, because having Peter here is something he thought would never happen again. Johnny wants to whisper all the things he never said when Peter was still alive, wants to let the words out and see if they catch fire in Peter, too, or if they just go up in smoke. He doesn't though. 

Instead, he waits for the train to pass and says, "Yeah, about that." He doesn't let go of Peter and Peter doesn't seem to have any interest in being let go, so it's okay.

Peter's huffs, warm air against Johnny's neck. "Long story. If I tell you, SHIELD will kill you." They both wince a little at the cliché. The sad part is, Johnny's sure he's not joking. Of course, SHIELD wants to kill him anyway, so six of one. "I convinced Fury to let me see Aunt May, but officially, I escaped, and if I don't go back..." He leaves it hanging and Johnny knows better than to press.

"Those fuckers."

"Yeah."

"You know there's a new kid now."

"Yeah. I think Fury is gonna try and do right by him after--what happened."

"And you trust him?"

"No." Peter shakes his head. "Maybe. With this one thing." He shrugs and Johnny realizes they're still clinging to each other, pressed up against the brick wall of the Circle S. Johnny shifts his hips a little, hoping Peter can't feel his hard-on. "I don't know." He closes his eyes and Johnny palms the nape of his neck, urging him to rest his head on his shoulder.

"He's not you."

Peter huffs again, a laugh this time, but more bitter than Peter usually is. Was. _Is_. Johnny's head is spinning. "No. Wouldn't wish that on anybody."

"You gonna stage a comeback?"

Peter looks away. "No. I'm not--" He flexes against Johnny, and Johnny has to clamp down hard so he doesn't set Peter on fire. Peter doesn't seem to notice, though he leans into Johnny as if seeking the warmth. "Whatever they did to bring me back, the old spider-powers haven't kicked in yet." He sounds a little lost. "Maybe they never will. Maybe that's better for everybody."

Johnny can feel the shiver run through Peter's body so he lets a little bit of that banked heat out in response, warm enough to counteract the chill in the air. "Nah, man, the city needs you. We--" Johnny pauses, sucks in a deep breath and says, " _I_ need you." 

Peter raises his head, his lips curved in a rueful half-grin. "Yeah?" 

And Johnny does what he's wanted to do for ages, what he regretted not doing every day after Peter was gone. He leans in and presses his mouth to Peter's. Peter's eyes go wide in surprise, and then flutter closed. He sighs against Johnny's lips and Johnny takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into Peter's mouth. Peter's hands come up, fingers scratching in the short hair on the back of Johnny's neck, and Johnny makes a low rumbling sound at how good it feels. 

Peter pulls back, smiling. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"You never said."

Johnny shrugs a shoulder. "You had MJ. And Gwen. And Kitty." He doesn't mention his own make-out sessions with Jessica, though now he knows why Peter was so freaked out at the time. And why it was okay but not what he really wanted.

Peter snorts. "Well, when you put it like that." He tugs Johnny in for another kiss, open-mouthed and full of tongue, and Johnny can feel himself getting hotter in a way he hasn't in a long time, like his control is going to slip soon, and set them both alight. His hands settle on Peter's hips, tucking up underneath the bottom edge of his hoodie to stroke along the waistband of his jeans. Peter shivers again, though this time, Johnny doesn't think it's from the cold.

Johnny doesn't know how long they stay there, licking and sucking and breathing each other in, but the sound of sirens in the distance, getting closer, makes Peter jerk back, startled. 

"I should go," he says. His lips are red and shiny and Johnny can see a hickey blooming on the underside of his jaw. 

"Wait," Johnny says, afraid that if he lets Peter go now, he'll disappear and Johnny'll never see him again. Peter hesitates and Johnny uses it to his advantage. "Come on. I know a place we can hide." Peter looks uncertain so Johnny curls his fingers in Peter's thin hoodie and presses kisses along his jaw before sucking on his earlobe, enjoying the soft, involuntary sound Peter makes in response. "At least let me warm you up." 

Peter's laugh is breathless and hoarse. "That line actually works for you?" 

Not really, Johnny thinks, but he says, "It works on you."

Peter ducks his head, suddenly shy, and Johnny feels another surge of warmth in his chest, one that has nothing to do with his powers. He nuzzles at Peter's cheek, which is surprisingly cool against his skin, and inhales the familiar smell of him. 

Johnny murmurs, "You can go after the cops are gone," his lips against Peter's ear, and then pulls him along before he can protest again.

There's an old cemetery across from the deli, so eerie and decrepit that Johnny was surprised it was still active the first time he saw it. It's easy enough to go over the fence, though Peter is breathing a little heavy when they come down. There's a tool shed not too far away, and the streetlights make it bright enough to find their way. 

"This place is creepy," Peter mutters, so close behind him that Johnny can feel the soft puffs of his breath.

"Yeah. Keeps most people out, I think." There's a padlock hooked through the shed door, but it's not actually locked, and then they're inside. It smells of wet dirt and dead leaves, but nothing gross, so Johnny figures it's okay. He lights a small flame so he can see--the last thing he wants is some kind of Three Stooges montage of him and Peter getting hit in the face with shovels and rakes--and once he's got an idea of where everything is, he snaps it out. "C'mere," he says, swinging Peter around so he's resting his ass against the tool bench and Johnny can stand in the vee of his legs. He cups Peter's face and licks into his mouth. Peter wraps a leg around his knees and pulls, and Johnny almost tumbles over, has to grab onto Peter's shoulders to keep from collapsing them both onto the tool bench. Peter laughs into his mouth and then curls his tongue along Johnny's, stealing away his surprised curses.

Peter shivers again and Johnny presses closer, gets his hands up under Peter's hoodie and the t-shirt he's got on underneath. "You okay?"

"I haven't been able to get warm since they brought me back," Peter admits. "And I'm not used to being cold anymore." 

Something about the matter-of-fact way he says it makes Johnny's throat hurt, so he sounds hoarse when he says, "I can take care of that." 

"I'm hearing a lot of talk," Peter says, hooking his other leg around Johnny's thighs and pressing up with his hips. "But not seeing a lot of action."

"I'll show you action," Johnny answers, grinning into the next kiss, which is wet and messy and full of tongue. 

It takes him a few minutes to find his balance so he can rock against Peter without knocking them both flat, but then it's all thrusting hips and grabbing hands. Peter gets them both unzipped, which is great, because Johnny wasn't looking forward to the long trip back to the tunnels with drying spunk in his shorts. 

"Fuck, you're a genius," he mutters when Peter lines their cocks up so they can rub against each other, slick friction making his whole body spark. 

"I have my moments," Peter says, pushing up against Johnny, his hands tight on Johnny's hips and his mouth slick and red from their kisses. "I think I'm having one right now, actually. Or maybe an orgasm." He gasps when Johnny starts stroking them both, and then he comes in warm wet spurts, hips jerking like he has no control.

Johnny keeps jacking himself, and now Peter wraps his hand around Johnny's dick and helps him out. He feels more alive than he has in months, the sensation better than anything, even flaming on and flying , and it's enough to wring Johnny's orgasm out of him. He comes hard, vision yellowing around the edges, his mouth pressed against Peter's cheek and Peter's name on his lips. 

They stay there like that, wrapped up and leaning into each other, for a while. The sirens are long gone, and there's no sound but their ragged breathing and the occasional dog barking.

Finally, Peter pulls away and makes a face. "Ew. We need to clean up."

Johnny pulls a wad of mostly clean (if linty) McDonald's napkins from the pocket of his hoodie. "All taken care of."

Peter takes the napkins Johnny offers him and cocks his head, searching look on his face. "Look at you, prepared for anything, huh?"

Johnny's smile feels a little broken, and he looks down at his hands. "Yeah. It's been--it's been a rough few months, man."

"I know." Peter slides forward and wraps his arms around Johnny, and Johnny buries his face in the crook of Peter's neck and clings to him. After a few seconds, his dick twitches, like maybe he could go another round, but the sirens start up again in the distance. Peter pulls away and actually starts cleaning up, so Johnny does, too. The last thing he wants is for Nick Fury to come busting into the shed while they've got their cocks out. And that thought makes it really easy to tuck himself away and zip up after he's cleaned up as much as he can with a handful of napkins. 

"So," Peter says once they're both fully dressed and back out on the street. "I should get going."

"Wait." Johnny kisses him again, slow and sweet this time, goodbye, but also hello and please don't leave and please come back all at once. "Listen," he says, hooking his fingers in the loops on Peter's jeans to hold him still for a second, "on Sunday nights, Judy, the lady at the Oxford Bakery, gives me some leftover bread. Sometimes there are jelly doughnuts."

"Okay?" Peter sounds as confused as he looks.

"If you need to reach me, leave a message with her. Or if you need to see me, you can usually find me there. On 114th Street."

The confused crinkle on Peter's foreheads smoothes out. "The Oxford Bakery. On Sunday nights."

"Yeah. They're closed Mondays."

"Okay." Peter leans in, kisses him again, and then pulls away. Johnny lets him go, though all he wants to do is hold on. "Can you check in on Aunt May for me? You don't have to let her see you--though I know she'd love to--but I don't know how often they're gonna let me visit."

"Of course," Johnny says, already mapping out the route in his head. Kitty and Bobby will understand. The sirens are close now, only a couple blocks away. "Be careful."

"You, too." Peter punctuates his words with a hard kiss and then takes off up the stairs to the A.

Once Peter's gone, Johnny tugs his hat low over his forehead again and starts walking. The cop cars scream by and an old homeless guy pushing a grocery cart full empty bottles and cans of starts yelling at them.

"The world is ending," the old man yells. He actually shakes his fist. "You're gonna get what's coming to you."

Johnny ducks his head and smiles. He's pretty sure he's seen the world end once or twice already, but maybe this time, what's coming is something good.

end


End file.
